Did The U.S. Pulled Out Of Iraq To Quickly?

U.S. Pulled Iraq Troops Too Soon -- Michael V. Hayden, CNN

(CNN) -- Very little in life is truly inevitable. When briefing policy makers, I would try to point out that a lot of it wasn't even predictable (at least in any scientific sense). But surely what is happening in Iraq, the increasingly darkening clouds of sectarian division, can hardly be described as unexpected.

In late 2006, as the Bush administration was debating the so-called surge, there were few doubts that five brigades worth of professional combat power could buy down the hellish level of violence then inflicting that country. There was less certainty that even with a reduced level of violence the Iraqi government could leverage that reality to make meaningful political progress.

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My Comment: Michael Hayden is right when he says in his commentary that everyone was predicting a return to sectarian violence in Iraq once U.S. forces have left. Even I have pointed out this probable outcome numerous times in this blog .... easily predicting that Sunni-Shiite differences will spill over into terror attacks and violence.

But having said that .... I have also said that our time in Iraq was up, and that we had to leave. We are not an empire .... and even if we wanted to we cannot .... we do not have the resources nor political will to commit our blood and treasure into these campaigns. The Iraqis will have have to sort out their differences among themselves .... but unlike the past 8 years .... they will not have the U.S. around for guidance.